Chapter One

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                “Back in black! I hit the sack, I been too long I’m glad to be back. Yes I-“ SMACK. I groaned as I pulled my hand back under the duvet after practically breaking my phone trying to shut off the alarm. Another shitty morning, another shitty day. I muttered something along the lines of damn fucking alarm before letting out a gigantic yawn and hauling myself out of bed.

                I made my way towards the tiny, not-necessarily-hygienic bathroom that’s situated three paces away across the entirety of my dorm, where I gazed into the lopsided mirror that hung above the sink. I cringed only slightly at my disheveled appearance. Black, fringed hair going in every direction, residue of whatever I was drinking the night before caked around the collar of my shirt and crusted in the corner of my mouth, my hazel eyes donned with bags so dark you’d think someone punched me in the face. Hell, maybe someone had; it’s not like I remembered anything from the night before. Most people might be concerned, even a little frightened in my current situation. Not me. I’d been doing this same thing on almost a daily basis for way too long to even care where I’d been or what I’d done.

                Sighing, I grabbed a comb and ran it through my hair a few times, trying to flatten it as best I could. Not that I really cared about my appearance that much; but I figured I looked like I’d been dragged to hell and back tied to a rope hanging off the back of a truck, so I should probably try to sort out my rat’s nest I called hair. Oh- and eyeliner. I could never forget my eyeliner. It was basically a part of me- you’d never see me without it. This is probably why I’m such a target at college.

                When my hair was in a somewhat-presentable state, my eyes bearing thick trails of black eyeliner and my nose and lip ring had been cleansed of residues and adjusted, I emerged from the bathroom in search of an outfit. It didn’t take me too long to decide; I wore my usual attire of black, tight-fitting skinny jeans, worn-out black converse, and for a shirt I chose a black AC/DC “For Those About to Rock” tee. Swiping on deodorant and deciding that was definitely enough effort for today, I grabbed my phone, textbooks, and keys before leaving my room to face yet another day at the hell hole called Rutgers University.

                The school itself wasn’t all bad. In fact, it had a lovely little cafe where the coffee was palatable and the food they served was fresh and delicious. I made a point to stop there almost every morning for coffee; I can’t function without my coffee. Especially after a night like the one before. Sipping on my vanilla latte, I begrudgingly made my way towards my classroom. The professor who taught my class was such a drag. He spoke in a slow, monotone voice that made staying awake so early in the morning even harder. There was always some kids who were sleeping, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t one of them.

                After an hour and a half of struggling to stay awake, I made my way to my second -and favourite- class of the day; music. I loved that class; it was the only one I actually enjoyed going to. The only reason I attended the other ones is because they had threatened to kick me out of the school if I didn’t start showing up. And so I went, hating every single second of it except for when I was in Mr. Armstrong’s music class. I was his favourite student; he even told me I could call him Billie. The only time I was confident was when I was playing the guitar, composing my own music and just letting myself get lost in the chords.

                When music was over, I sat through my last two classes and, finally, the bell rang, signalling the end of my school day. For once, I had managed to escape the usual taunts and threats that followed me wherever I went on campus. I thought that maybe the people who tormented me had finally decided to lay off me. Oh, how wrong I was.

                Just as I was heading towards the exit of the main building, I heard shouts and the sound of several pairs of running feet heading in my direction.

                “Hey, check it out guys! It’s Fag Iero! We were wondering when you’d show up, you fucking faggot!” I turned to see five big, muscular guys striding towards me. In front, as he always was, was their notorious gang leader, Andy Biersack. His companions consisted of Jake Pitts, Jinxx, Ashley Purdy, and Christian Coma; they called themselves the Black Veil Brides, and they were well known for beating up ‘emo’ kids, and homosexuals. This, unfortunately, meant I was one of their favourite targets, falling into both of those categories.

                Oh yeah, I should probably tell you, I’m gay. The most flamboyantly gay person you’ll ever meet, probably. I’d known since I was young that I didn’t like girls. I had accepted this a long time ago, but for some reason these douchebags couldn’t. They never left me alone; ever since I started at this university just over a year ago, they decided I would be the most fun person ever to pick on. Of course, my height and feminine appearance didn’t help my situation. I stand at a spectacular height of 5’4”, and being 21 years old, I don’t have much chance of that number increasing. Again, I’ve accepted and embraced this characteristic of myself, but once again, these dipshits decided it was a reason to bully me.

                I winced as they barrelled me over and shoved me against the wall, laughing their stupid heads off. The usual taunts came, said in a tone halfway between disgust and glee at seeing their handiwork taking its toll on me.

                “Hey there Frank. What’s that on your face? Is that makeup? I bet you fucking love wearing that shit, you fucking pussy. What’s the matter, too scared to talk? Or are you keeping your mouth shut because you don’t want us to smell the scent of dick on your breath, you fucking cocksucker?!” Andy yelled obnoxiously into my face, grinning madly, knowing full well that I couldn’t reply or fight back without ending up with, at the very least, a black eye. Knowing he had so much power over me seemed to give him even more confidence, and it made him crazy.

                “Hahahaha! Good one, Andy!” “You’re the best, Andy!” “Punch him in the face, Andy!” came the cheers of his gang members as he smiled maliciously at my cowering form, pressing me back against the wall and towering over me like the monster he was. I cringed, knowing that any second pain was heading my way. I closed my eyes as he raised his fist, and felt the sharp, throbbing explosion of pain as it connected with my eye socket. I could instantly feel it bruising. I knew that was far from all I’d get, so I braced myself and clenched my jaw, eyes still closed, and waited for it. Sure enough, two more quick strikes to my jaw and cheekbone, and suddenly I was overcome with a dizzy sensation, and I collapsed to the floor. I groaned as he kicked me in the stomach, using all my willpower not to empty its contents onto his shoes. That would definitely not help my situation. Clutching my abdomen, I waited still, knowing this wasn’t over. Andy whistled, and his cronies scrambled over to where I lay on the ground, and simultaneously they all started kicking me as hard as they could. Most of the blows hit me in the legs or abdomen, but some connected with my skull and chest, and I was gasping desperately for air, hoping that this would end. They continued kicking for a few minutes, and then Andy must have signalled for them to stop, because they backed away and I felt Andy’s breath in my ear as he bent over and whispered to me maliciously. “I hope you learned your fucking lesson, you faggot. You’re a disgrace to the human race. I hope you fucking die, you piece of shit.” And with that, he stood up and strutted away, his worshippers following close behind, congratulating him on another successful pulverization.

                I tried to stand, but as soon as I started to lift myself up, I was overcome with a wave of intense dizziness, and I collapsed back onto the floor. I groaned as I felt my head pound, blood trickling out of wounds all over my body. I figured I must have a concussion, because a wave of nausea overtook my body, and I retched onto the tiles beside me. I tried to sit up again, but I collapsed, and then everything went black.

 Hey guys! So this is my first update :S If anyone is actually reading this, I hope you like it! Please leave some feedback so I know if I should continue updating or not :)

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